BRIEF: Human Rights Watch Criticizes Mexico's Human Rights Commission

MEXICO CITY, Mexico - Mexico's human rights record has been criticized before and now international human rights organization, Human Rights Watch, says Mexico's National Human Rights Commission ("CNDH") has not effectively used its resources to help end violations.

Jose Miguel Vivanco, the Americas Director for Human Rights Watch, says that "while the CNDH does a decent job documenting abuses and identifying problems, it doesn't take crucial steps needed to bring about change."  Some of the crucial steps Vivanco is referring to include; pressuring state institutions to hold individuals responsible for human rights abuses, promoting legal reforms to prevent future violations, challenging laws and policies that contradict with international human rights laws, sharing information it has collected on human rights problems so they are clearly known, and meeting with state officials and other human rights advocates in order to make a collective and constructive effort to promote human rights in Mexico.

Human Rights Watch gives numerous examples of human rights violations that have occurred in Mexico.  Among these violations is the abuses by soldiers involved in the new law enforcement plan to find and capture drug lords.  Impunity Watch has reported on this issue as well as other abuses Human Rights Watch refers to such as extreme action by police against demonstrators.

For more information, please see:

Human Rights Watch - Mexico:  Effective Action Needed by Human Rights Body - 13 February 2008

Human Rights Watch - Mexico's National Human Rights Commission:  A Critical Assessment

Impunity Watch - Human Rights Groups in Mexico Claim their Soldiers Have Tortured and Raped - 25 January 2008